2004 Ford Explorer: whining or grinding noise

Filed Jun 7, 2011 · Suspension · 29,700 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact was driving approximately 25 to 55 MPH when he noticed an abnormal howling from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised that they would shim the pinion and ring gears to silence them. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred twice after the repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 29,700.

Filed Aug 29, 2010 · Transmission · 114,000 miles · TX

Vehicles exhibit an axle whine or hum during acceleration, deceleration and/or cruise.

Filed Jul 27, 2010 · Body, Transmission · 60,000 miles · VA

2004 ford explorer transmission clunking and shifting roughly, taking long time to engage cause vehicle to roll back, does not seem to engage for a period of time. Also whines so loud folks in back seat can't hear front seat people talking. Appears each time driven. Was that way when purchased new and dealer fixed it, now once again same issue.

Filed Apr 21, 2010 · Suspension · 45,000 miles · IL

Rear differential failure-I think this should be looked into as I have searched the internet and there are too many complaints about this. Maybe it was not the tires causing all the crashes but the bad rear ends that ford is aware of. Rear whining noise and grinding from all SUV models.

Filed Sep 5, 2009 · Transmission · 49,000 miles · IL

2004 ford explorer with 49,000 miles. Howling noise from rear. Took it to ford; they rebuilt the rear differential at a cost of $1600.00. Car has always been serviced at ford for routine maintenance. Don't understand how this vehicle with such low mileage had to have rear differential replaced. In looking at service bulletins; this sounds like a defect that ford has not acknowledged.

Filed May 30, 2009 · Transmission · NJ

2004 ford explorer required new transmission in first year. Later, a loud whine developed from the rear of the car on acceleration. Annoying, but I didn't know if meant trouble. Abs and 4x4 high lights later began to come on intermittently. Mechanic found no cause. Just recently, at 79,000 miles, the vehicle began to feel like it was about to fall apart. Ford dealer has had it for over a week, they say, after doing $1000 worth of useless work on it, that the entire rear differential has gone bad, and must be replaced. Apparently this was not caught up till now, but must have been responsible for the whine, the errant lights, and a ka-chunk that the brakes have been making for years, also never able to be diagnosed. (note: I didn't know where to categorize this, so I entered it in the other category because I didn't want to misclassify; also do not have VIN as the vehicle is at the dealership).

Filed May 18, 2009 · Transmission · PA

My complaint is with the 2004 ford explorer and is a universal complaint for explorers from 2002-2005. These vehicles have problems with their rear differentials causing them to whine loudly at various speeds. In some cases they will leak and in extreme cases even seize up causing a dangerous situation for the drivers. There are multiple articles on this situation online and I myself have had my differential parts replaced twice already. I still experience a slight "whine" in the rear end around 60mph, not as bad as before but still there however. Apparently when the factory warranty has expired ford dealers will only repair this problem again if they are paid to do so. This is a major problem with these vehicles and has been for some time. Ford needs to accept ownership of this situation and have a recall sent out to all owners advising them the problem will be fixed at no expense to the owners. It is a downright annoying,costly and sometimes dangerous situation that needs to be addressed now as there are many of these vehicles on the road with unhappy owners at the wheel. Myself included. Thank you for your time.

Filed Mar 4, 2009 · Transmission · 39,000 miles · WI

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. While driving between 40-60 MPH on normal road conditions, the contact heard a whining noise when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure occurred continuously and there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was related to the rear differential. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 39,000. Updated 03-27-09 *bf updated 04/01/09.

Filed Oct 20, 2008 · Suspension · 79,000 miles · IA

Two out of four wheel bearings are howling on this vehicle.

Filed Oct 31, 2007 · Transmission · 72,000 miles · OH

Rear axle noise/whining.

Filed Jan 29, 2007 · Transmission · 36,000 miles · NY

Whining noise in rear end of 2004 ford explorer, dealer said there's nothing they can do about it, said don't worry about it , it doesn't hurt anything, 36,000 miles.

Filed Oct 30, 2006 · Brakes, Locks · 26,998 miles · CA

2004 explorer had problems with brakes and windows. *ts three months after the vehicle was purchased thee was a recall on the transmission. The ABS malfunctioned and the power windows would not go down. The rear hatch door would not open. The transmission began to slam into gear. The rotors vibrated in the rear. Consumer heard a howling noise at 40-55 MPH. The dealer replaced the ring and pinion. Nm